Latch and locking means



Jap.14,1941. H.H.RAYMOQNDIV 2,228,674

, LATCH A ND LOCKING MEANS Filed Oct 28, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1%PAcE HJQAYMOND I Jan. 14, 1941. 5 H. H. RAYMOND LATCH AND nocxmemmnsv 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 2:3;1-939 v y 4246 CwJ w- Eras n 7 -r w/:\ B M MW PM Jan. 14,1941.

1-1. 1-1; RAYMOND LATCH AND LOCKING MEANS Filed 0 1. 28, 1939 a Sheets-Sheet 3' 2 0 1 a 0 i ll"- I I 5k: wfi V 6 M .2 fly l Elks 1 a 3mm HozPA CE HPA MOND Patented Jan. 14, i941 a.

" uNiTE-o STATES narcnann Locxmo mans Horace H.

Raymond, Berlin, (ionn 'assignor to The Eagle hock Company, Terryvllle, corporation oi' Connecticut Application October 28, 1939, Serial'No; 301 ,682

15 Claims.

7 The presentjinvention relates to-latches and has particular reference to latches to be used in conjunction with automobile. doors.

Heretofore it has been customary to place on each door; of an automobile a latching means operable from both sides of the door and means interior of the door for locking the latch against movement from latching position. The locking means were so arranged that upon operating of the interior means for etching the door the lock would be simultaneously released. In addition, either one or -both of the doors .at the drivers seat would also be provided with an exteri'or key operated lock for locking the door after exit from the can. It -was necessary, however, before locking; the exit door to'individually check and latch each door. Moreover, so far as applicant is aware all of the latches required an'ex-- terioroperating handle which had a turning movemgantgthus requiring oneend of the handle to be free. As a result the end of the handle con stituted a hookon which clothes could be caught and torn and in addition, many serious injuries have occurred as a result of people being struck by theprojecting end of the handle.

Moreover, due to the fact that each door was individually. latched and had individual-locking means associated therewith, it was necessary-to..-

check each of. the doors to assure that they were locked. In many instances where this was not done, doorshav'e been opened, luggage or otherarticles stolen from the car, even while the driver was in'- it. In other instancesh'oldups have oc-' curred by persons'entering the car through an unlatched door.

Anpobject of the present invention is to provide latching means associated with each door, and a central'controlwhereby allot the latches may be simultaneously locked and can not again be opened except by operation oith'e-central' provision of such means the' control. By thedoors are all-under the control of the operator. of the vehicle, and the operator, by the manipulation of the single controls-means, can assure the locking of alldoors, thus preventing the entry from the-.outside of any person orthe falling out of any person car through unintentional A still further object is from the inside 01' the th'eprovision of means whereby all the doors except the door through i which the person exits from the car may be simultaneously locked, the exit door being pro-1 vided with outside locking means, thus making 'it impossible for anyone to unintention lly lock themselves 'outsideoi the car.

opening of the latches.

by its simplicity of structure, economy of manufacture-and ease and positiveness of operation.

Other objects will be in part obvious andin part pointed out more in detail hereinaften.

The invention. accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement 01 parts which will be exempliiied in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope oi theapplication oi which will be indicated in the appended claims.

. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a latch structure shown when utilized in doors of an automobile; .t s. -2 is a side view of.

-conjunction with the the latch in latching plan view partly in section of a embodying the invention herein,

positionwith one-or theside plates oi. the casing latching mechalatching position:

, Fig. 5A- is a view similar to Fig. 5- with the latch in its unlatched position; Fig. 6 is a side view of-the remote control mechanism for operating the latch locking means; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are opposite end mechanism 'shown'in 6. Referring tothe drawings, there is fragmentarily shown for purposesoi" illustrating a preierred use of theilatches, a pair oi automobile doors A and B oi usual construction and so hinged that their i'ree edges swing into abutment against a common body B08110. Mounted in the opposite sides 'ing mechanismsD adapted to cooperatively engage astrike F carried by the adjacent door and thus secure the door in its closed position.

There is iurthermounted on the inner surface views of. the.

moved to show the details of the latching mecha-- oi the post p are apair oi latch partlyin section, of the .or the post 0 a controlmeans'E for remotely-and simultaneously operating the locking means as-- sociated with each of the latches D.. In practice the control means E2 will be positioned on the dashboard oi the car, but isshown in the present instance on the interior, oi the post for purposes of simplification of the More specifically, each latch D comprises a said apertures being arranged in respective align-' ment with the latch release and bolt, both subsequently described in detail. In addition, the side plate I2 is slotted at 2| in alignment with the opening l8 to allow the strike F to enter the casing and move to latching position as will hereinafter become apparent, and extending inwardly from the lower edge of the slot is a strike plate 23. e

For convenience and economy in manufacture v the side wall l2, front wall l6 and strike .plate 23 are stamped and formed from one piece of suitable sheet metal andthe remaining casing members stamped and formed from one piece of suitable sheet metal. When so formed the top and bottom walls 28 and 22 are further provided with right angular flanges 24 and 26 extending therefrom-flush with the side wall 12 and integrally joined to the latter in any suitable way such as by rivets 28. As indicated, the side wall I2 may be of substantially greater area than the wall l4 and the extending portions thereofprovided with top and bottom rivet receiving openings 30.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by.

forming a rectangular depression in the center post C corresponding in area to the casing, the latter may be inserted therein until the side wall I2 is flush against the side face of the post C. Thereafter, by providing suitable openings in the post alignable -with the openings 38 in the side plate l2, the casing may be secured to the post, by suitable screws and the side wall l2 will completely overlie the edges of the depression '40 in the post for receiving the casing.

Referring specifically .to'tlie latching mechanism, there is arranged within the, casing a.

compound latching means 32 including an elongated bolt member 34 and a complementary.

cushioning member'36pivotally joined at their upper ends by a transverse pin 38. The pin '38 extends through aligned openings provided in ears 48 extending rearwardly from the side plates 4| of the bolt 34 and ears 42 extending forwardly from the side plates 43 of the cushioning member 36,'the pivot being so arranged that the rear plate 44 of the bolt member and the front plate 46 of the cushioning member 36 will,

when in abutment, lie parallel and flush against one another. The latching means 32 is pivotally mounted on the casing for movement toward and from unlatching position on a transversely arranged pivot pin'48 positioned intermediate 'of the upper and lower ends of the bolt member 34 and extending through aligned openings 49 in the side plates 4| thereof. The pivot pin 48 is secured in the casing bypositioning the reduced end- 68 thereof in a; suitable opening in the side plate l4 and then peaned over to nonrotatably secure the pin in position. The pin receiving openings '49 in bolt member 34 may also have frictionally fixed therein a bushing 62 adapted to overlie the pin 48 and thus provide a complete transverse bearing between the bolt and pin 48;

The bolt member 34 is so constructed that the lower end or nose 36 thereof is in the form on V to provide a forward face 54 and a rear 7 wardly from the'lower end 'of the face 64.

- also describes an angle'of approximately 46 demeans to. unlatched position the nose 3! -of the bolt will be free to move outwardly'through a range of movement limited only by engagement of the lower portion 51 of the forward bolt face with thetop edge of the lower front plate aperture l9.

The rear strike retaining face 56 of the bolt grees with the forward wall 46 of the cushioning member 36, the latter wall extending downwardly a suflicient distance below its point of meet-' ing with the strike retaining face 56 to provide a forwardly facing strike abutment 58.

With the foregoing construction the strike re staining face 66 and .strike abutment 68 define therebetween an inverted V and together with the strike plate 23 make a three-point engagement 25 with the strike F when the'latter is in latching position, the full advantage or this structure being hereinafter fully apparent.

Unitary pivoting of the latching means 32 towards unlatching position about pivot 48 is obtained by a compression member compressing a coiled spring I8 so positioned as to normally urge the latching means to unlatched position. To position member 18 there is mounted between the side plates 43 of cushioning member 36, a pivot pin 62 having its center positioned slightly below the center of the bolt pivot'48, Pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 62 is the enlarged head of a link 66, the link extending rearwardly and having its outer end extending threugh and slidably pivoted in an aperture 68 provided therefor in the rear ,wall l8 of the casing III, the aperture being positioned below the latching means pivot 48 whereby when the latching means are in latched position link 66 is at an angle to the horizontal. Link 66 provides asupport for spring 18 which is positioned thereon between the head 64 andthe rear casing wall l8 whereby the spring 18 is under tension when the latching means are in latched position, thus normally pivoting the trip 36 about the connecting pin 38 to position the forward wall 46 of the trip against the rear wall 44 of the boltand tending to pivot the bolt about its pivot 48;

Obviously due to the pivotal mounting of the member 86 on the bolt 34 and the pivotal mount- ,ing of the link 66 .on the cushioning member, the

cushioning member constitutes one link of a tog gle and the link 66 the other link of the toggle.

As the'pivot 62 of link 66 is located below the center of the bolt pivot 48 the tendency of'the toggle break due to the force of the spring" results in a normal tendency to pivot the bolt outwardly towards unlatching position,

The bolt is restrained against such pivoting by a trigger l2 pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 14' and so positionedthat'upon movement of the bolt to latching position the trigger 12 will automatically engage same and hold it against mov'ement to unlatching position. To accomplish this the trigger includes an actuating arm I6- and a restraining arm 18 extending rearwardly from and at rlght'angles to the actuating arm 16. The lower edge of the restraining arm 18 is positioned above the pivot pin 38 and normally maintained in engagement therewith by a spring 64 mounted v, 2,228,6"1'4 o tr uer pivot pin .14. The spring has the trigger, thus tending to normally pivot the trigger and maintain-the lower surface of the a restraining arm I8 in contact with the pivot pin 38. As best seen inFigs. and 5A thelower edge of the trigger restraining arm 18 is provided with a downwardly extending shoulder 88 adaptedto engage behind the pin 38 and a downwardly facing cam surface 82 extending rearwardly andangularly' downwardly from the shoulder 88.

TWith the latching means and trigger so constructed, upon pivoting 'of the trigger the restraining arm I8 thereof. will be raised to move the shoulder 88. from' behind the pin 38 whereupon the toggle comprising the cushioning member 38 and link 88 will be free :to break resulting in a'pivotin'g of the latching means to unlatched position and simultaneously causing pin 38' to, "move rearwardly into the casing and beneath the cam surface 82 of the trigger as indicated-in Fig.

5A. When in this position upon the closing of the door the strike F will move past-the lower endof the bolt 34 until it engages the strike abutment 58 of the cushioning member .36 causing same topivot inwardly to raise the link pivot. 82 and .tend to straighten out the toggle. However, inasmuch as the pin 38 is not fixed, the tension exerted will cause the straightening of the toggle and will pivot-thejbolt 34 simultaneously therewith about its pivot 48." Upon the pin 38 coming into alignment with the trigger shoulder 88 the trigger spring 81 will cause the trigger to automatically snap and position the shoulder 88 behind the 'pin 38, thus restraining the latching means in latching position.

Due to the fact that the door of'a car is of considerable weight, the swinging thereof will result in the door being carried past its normal closed position, this being particularly so in pres ent day cars where compressible Weatherstripping and sound or shock absorbing'means are placed around the door frame. As a result means must be provided to permit relative movement of the strike to the bolt so that theforce of closing is not taken up by-the latching means. In the latch illustrated, the shock is absorbed by thecushioning member 36,-i1t being apparent that as the strike moves past its normally closed posi- J tion the cushioning member is free to pivot about the pivot pin 38 and relative to the bolt 3l, this pivoting resulting in a further compression of toggle spring 18. Thus no shock is transmitted to the latching mechanism and when the door has come to a stop and springs back the cushioning member 38 will likewise be forced back by the spring l8v into the latching position shown in Fig.

Preferably the strike F is of such diameter that when in latching position a relative pivoting movement of the member 36 to the bolt 34 has occured, this movement spreading the normally engaging front and rear surfaces and the cushioning member 38 will exert a forward pressure on the strike and thus prevent rattling thereof. Moreover, upon actuation of the trigger release to release the pin 38 from behind the shoulder 88 the spring 18 in alddition to pivoting the latching means also forces the strike F out of the latch .and thus assures positive opening of the closure. I

For further ease in operation, the strike F may rectl'y to the door-as no'turning thereof is rethrough the door and its outermost end pro- 'mally maintained in its outermost position by ai 3 comprise a 88 fixed into the end plate of the door and carrying an anti-friction roller 88.

It will also be noted that thestrike plate 23' inclines upwardlyfrom the forward face plate I8 of thecasing towards the rear plate thereof, this 5 inclination assuring a positive latching despite any sagging of the ,doors asthe strike willl'always ride up on to the strike plate and into its proper position relative to the bolt and cushioning member.

In order to. operate the latch when used in conjunction with automobile doors, there isv arranged on the outside of each door a handle 9|, fixed at its opposite end portions 82 and 84 diquired. The elimination ofthe necessity for a pivoted handle is accomplished by providing-in the portion 84 of the handle Ma bore 83 arranged in alignment with the latch pivotactuating arm 12. Mounted within the bore is a plunger. I

spring I 84 positioned intermediate of .the' shoulder MI in the innermost end and the bottomof the bore 93. Movement of the member I88 is accompflished by depression of anou ter member I85, which member is provided with a reduced end I8'I terminating in a circumferential shoulder I88 adapted to abut against the circumferential positioned therein. Disposed between the member I85 and the .member I88 is a spring II3 of shoulder m in the end of the bore tomain'ta-in it greater strength than the spring I8land thus, when the plunger member I85 is forced-inwardly the motion thereof be transmitted through the spring H3-to'the inner memberl88 and th y latching trigger operated.- When the latch is in locked position by Ilhemean's hereinafterdescrlbed itcan not be damaged by forcing of the plunger member I85 for, if suflici'en't force is. applied to the outer end I81 thereof and the inner member is restrained against movement due to the lockingof the latch means, the member I85 will 58 simply compress spring H3 its inner end I I5 abuts the bore shoulder I83 and the force will then be dissipated through the supporting door.

In the ease of automobile doors'there-m'ust furtherbe provided means for operating the latch from the interior thereof, but'in instances where such means'is omitted, the plunger 39 would diposition. In the present instance however, there is positioned between the end of Iihe plunger 89 and the releasing trigger, a lever I I8, which lever suitable way to an actuating handle (not shown) I inside the door wlhereby' when the handle' is turned the lever I28 will move longitudinally and pivot the U-shaped member II2 to cause lever I I8 toaotuate the release trigger. Suitablespflng,

means I22 may be provided to normally return the lever I to its inoperative position. Due to the lost motion connection between the U member pin I II and the slot H8 in lever ill the de-' pressing of the plunger II when it is desired to I open the door from the exterior thereof will also pivot the U-shaped member without transferring the motion to the lever III. In order to lock the ,door from the exterior the plunger I" may inelude any usual type of cylindrical lock I24 actuatedby a suitable key I26, thuspreventing longi-' tudinal motion thereof.

By utilizing the latches described herein a number of advantages are obtained which have not heretofore been obtained by the latches presently used. The possibility of using a nonturning handle not only eliminates the disadvantages heretofore set forth but inasmuch as 4 spacer I mounted adjacent the casing wall; it

*ber and spacer beingsecured to the wall ll by the handle is fixed at both ends a much stronger door pull is obtained.- In addition the handle lends itself to streamlining of the car and can.

be partially or wholly sunk within the car door..

Likewise by positioning the actuating latches within the body post instead of in the door as heretofore has been the practice, the size (if the doorwindow frames can be materi allyreduced as the window guides will not have to be set in as far as heretofore required in order to clear the latch casing when mounted in the door, and greater vision through the windows is obtained.

As previously indicated, each latch has assorand an outer cover member ll! the cover memsuitable screws or rivets I30 'passing' through not throw over dead center but will only "when actuatem creates a" to-either side ofthe diaphragm I)! causing it toilex past dead center. The'remote control, means"! cornprisesa,supporting plate 1 on ewhich there is. rigi y a cylindrical IQ-chamber Ml having-on its outer enda nozzle aligned openings provided for "therein. The diain I" has two positions of stability to either side of the center thereof and thus, ,when

and move the pininto or, out of the path of the trigger restraining arm 18. As best seen inFlg. the trigger restrainingarm ll is also provided with an upwardly facing cam surface which,

when the trigger is in latch restraining position;

is positioned beneath the path of movement of the locking pin I20 and thus when the pin is 55 actuated it will overlie the camming surface I,

preventing operation 6: the trigger, and thus lock the latching means in latching position. However, when the latch means is in unlatched position the 16mm; pin in lies opposite the side 60 face a: the restraining member l'l and the cleare Wlll OVG ancetherebetween is so small that when pre is applied to the diaphragm II! the latte suiiiciently'td cause the end to strike the trigger.

Actuation of the locking means is obtained herein by pneumatic pressure and to accomplish the cover member i3! has secured thereon a nonle lifconnectingthrough suitable tubing ill to the remote control means E, which means. on in pressure mason Ill phragm chamber nozzles I through the inter pressure is applied, it will'flex past dead center,

adapted to be interconnected to. the diaconnectlngtube H2. Mounted within the cham- .ber II] is a piston I! which piston, when moved forwardly \will compress the air contained therer in, thus creating a pressure and throwing the respective latch locking means .diaphragms past dead center if the latches are in latching position. Upon movement of the piston rearwardly a vacuum will be created whereupon the diaphragms will 'again hex past dead center to the unlocking position.

The movement of the piston is accomplished by providing it with a rearwardly extending piston rod Ill having pivotally connected to'its outer ends the lower end of one toggle link I" and the upper end of a second toggle link I51. The upper end of the upper toggle link I is pivotally mounted on a pin". mounted in the support plate I, the upper portion of the plate .being bent inwardlyat iii and then upwardly at I to position the toggle I in alignment with .the piston rod. The lower'end of the second toggle link I" is bifurcated at I" to receive a pin I" carried by an actuating lever -ll0 thus providing a lost motion connection therebetween. Thereis further mounted on the toggle'link III a spring I'll having its upper end abutting a shoulder on the link and its lower end abutting the upwardlyfacing surfaces ill of a pair of spacing members I'll carried on the pin lit. Theactuating lever l'|l\ has its upper end also mounted on the pivot, pin I" and to provide a guide for the lever the lowerend of the supporting plate I is turned inwardly and at right through which the lower end of the lever illi extends. The lower end of the lever may further be provided with a suitable handle I" secured thereon in any suitable way for convenient manipulation thereof. p

From the foregoing it is apparent that-upon pivoting of the lever llil to move the lower end I80 thereof to the left as viewed in Fig. 6 the toggle formed by the links I and I" will the other side of thelever to move the piston in forwardly and create a pressure in the system. Upon moving the lever in the opposite direction the reverse action will occur whereupon the vacuum. By utilizing the toggle a rapid movement of the piston is obtained, thus getting'a sudden variation of pressure within the system. However, the piston is given a loose flt allowing hsufflcient leakage so that the system almost instantaneously thereafter equalizes to atmospheric pressure, the reason for this being sub sequently pointed out.

Thus it will be apparent that upon operation of the lever ill'ii' allthe doors are closed the locking pins i2! will allmove into the path-of the trigger members of the respective latches and thus an ope A g of the door can not result. This is advanta us. in that all doors may be simul- It is apparent that at the discretion of "operatorall thedoora ofthecarmaybelocked in theirlatchedpoaition and no one elsewithin the car can unintentionally unlatch a'n individ ualdoor. ,Ifitisdeairedtoleavethecarthe per-..

aonwillexitthroughadocshavinganexterior in addition to the latch locking angles and provided with an elongated slot I'll initially straighten out and then be thrown to I piston will be moved rearwardly to vcreate a taneouslyi j ocked by a single operation. In like mannerdipon reverse operation of the lever Ill all the latches Although shown in conjunction with automobile means and upon opening of this door the latching-means in its unlatchingposition prevents operation of the locking means thereof, however,-

all of the remaining latches may be simultaneously closed by the operation of the control means E. As the pressure in the system will equalize immediately after the operation of the control means E, sufiicient time will elapse'between the operation and the closing of theexit door so that the locking means thereof willnot be actuated and uponthe closing of the doorit will be necessary to lock it by the exteriorlocking means. It is impossible'therefore for any-.

one to exit from the car and then look themselves out. I

It is likewise apparent thatin addition to the manufacture of the casing members from metal stampings, substantially all of'the remaining parts of the latching mechanism may likewise be made from metal stampings, thus greatly reducing the cost of manufacture of the device.

" doors, it is quite apparentthat the latching mechanism is susceptible for use in any device wherein a closure is movable into and out of abutment thescope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a latch mechanism a casing, a bolt pivotally mountedjin the casing, means restraining said bolt against pivoting, a cushioning member pivotally mounted on said bolt and resilient means normally urging said cushioning member into abutting relation with said bolt.

2. In a-latch mechanism a casing, compound 'latching means. positioned in said casing and including a pair of members pivotally mounted together for relative movement to one another, said members having opposed faces paralleling one another, means pivotally moimting one of said members in said casing, means normally urging said other member .towards said first mem-,

ber to position said opposed faces in-abutting relationship and meansreleasably restraining said first member against pivotal movement.

3. In a latch mechanism a-casing, compound latching means positioned in said casing and includinga pair of members pivotally mounted together for relative movement to. one another, the lower ends of said members defining therebetween an inverted V,-means pivotally mounting one of said members on said casing, resilient means normally urging saidother member into normal abutting relationship with said first member and releasable means for restraining said first member against pivotal movement.

4. In a latch mechanism a casing including a strike plate, an elongated bolt mounted in said casing and pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends, meansreleasably restraining .said bolt against pivoting with the lower endthereof posiv n 4 tioned adjacent the strike plate, a cushioning absorb the blow thereof, and meansreleasably 7 member pivotally mounted on said bolt above, said bolt pivot and having its lower end extending downwardly and definingwith the lower end I of the bolt an inverted V, spring means normally urging said cushioning member intov abutting 5 relationship with said'bolt member whereby the lower ends of said bolt member and cushioning member and saidstrike plate define a three-point contact for restraining a strike therein.

' 5. 'In a latchmechanism a casing, a bolt pivl0, otally mounted in said casing, a cushioning member pivotally :connected to the bolt above the pivot thereof and extending below the other end of said bolt tolie in the path of a strike, a link having one end pivotally connected to said cushioning member below said bolt pivot and its other end slidably pivoted in said casing, a spring a mounted on said link between the casing and cushioning member and normally tendin'gto pivot said cushioning member into abutment with the bolt and the bolt about its pivot and means releasably holding said bolt against pivotal movement'.

6. In, a. latch mechanismv casing, an elongated bolt pivotally mounted in said casing intermediate of its ends, a toggle comprising a cushioning t member and a link member pivoted on said cushioning member, said cushioning member having its free end pivotally connected to the bolt above the bolt pivot and the free end of the link member pivotally mounted in the casing, said toggle including a compression member adapted on breaking of said toggle to pivot the bolt to unlatching position, one of said toggle links lying in the path of a strike and engageable thereby upon movement thereof to straighten the toggle and pivot said bolt to latchingposition and means for releasing said bolt from latching position.

7. In a latch mechanism a casing, a bolt pivotally mounted' in the casing, releasable means 40 engaging one end of the bolt to restrain it against pivoting, a toggle comprising a cushioning member and a link member pivoted thereon, said toggle having one member pivotally connected adjacent the restrained end of the bolt and the other member mounted for pivotal movement in the casing, spring means on said toggle normally tending to'break same to pivot said bolt about its pivot to an unlatching position, said toggle lying in the path of movement of a strike and adapted upon engagement thereby to. be straightened whereby said bolt' will be pivoted towards latching position.

8. Ina latch mechanism a casing, astrike-retaining member pivotally mounted in the casing, a strike abutment pivotally mounted on said strike retaining member above the pivot thereof,

spring means normally urging said abutment into engagement with said strike retaining member and pivoting said retaining member about its pivot and out of the path of movement of a strike and means for releasably restraining said strike retaining member against pivotal movement;

9. In a latch mechanism a casing, a bolt pivototed to the bolt, said cushioning member and bolt restraining said bolt against pivotal movement. 10'.- A latch comprising a casing to be attached to a stationary part, a strike receiving opening in said casinga bolt pivotally mounted in the casing and in normal alignment with said opening when in latched position, a cushioning member pivotaiiy mounted on said bolt member means normally urging said cushioning member. into engagement with said bolt and for pivoting said bolt to uniatching position whereby said bolt will be out 01' alignment with said strike receiving opening and said cushioning member in alignment therewith, and a strike mounted on a movable part adapted to engagesaid cu ioning member to pivot same relative tothe bol whereby the bolt will be pivoted to latching position and releasable bolt pivoting restraining means automatically engageable uponpivoting o! the bolt to latching position.

11. In. a latching mechanisma casing, a bolt mounted in the casing, a cushioning'member'pivhaving thelowe'r ends thereof angularly arranged relative to one another to enable a strike to be held therebetween, means for restraining said bolt in latching position, spring means normally pivoting said cushioning member towards said bolt when the bolt is in latching position and for pivoting said bolt to unlatched position upon release oi said restraining means whereby said bolt will be moved out of the path 0! a strike and said cushioning member into the path of a strike.

12. In combination with a plurality of closure members, a latch for each'member mounted on a stationary part, a strike carried by each 0! said members for latching engagement with the latch associated therewith, latch actuating means carried by each oithe closures for releasing the latch member is operable only when sai associated therewith and means carried by the stationary part for simultaneously locking, each of the latches when said. latches are in looking position.

13. In a latching mechanism a casing, bolt means mounted in said casing for moving into and out of latching position, means for restrain ing said bolt in latching position, locking means for locking said bolt restraining means in latching position, said locking means comprising a memleasably restraining pivotal movement of said bolt. 9. locking member on said casing for restraining movement of said releasable means when said means is in bolt restraining position, said locking member and said releasable means having intersecting paths of movement whereby s id locking releasing member is in bolt restraining position.

15. In a latch mechanism a casing, latching means comprising a pivotally connected bolt member and cushioning member, said bolt being pivotally mounted on said casing, means normally tending to pivot said cushioning means into abutment with said bolt and said bolt about its pivot and means releasably holding said bolt against pivoting movement on its pivot.

s v "HORACE H. RAYMOND. 

